Drill pipe racking apparatus



July 26, 193 2. s, s, HEMBREE 1,868,747

DRILL PIPE BACKING APPARATUS Filed Au jls. 1950 SSheets-Sheet 1 r 1 I Z/INVENTOR Samuel Q/fembrea ATTORNEY July 1932- s; s. HEMBREE 1,868,747

' I DRILL PIPE BACKING APPARATUS Filed'Aug. 15,1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR BY Samue/ J. Haw/as ATTORNEY July 26, 1932.

S. S. HEMBREE DRILL PIPE BACKING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 15, 1950 70 j 4 i9 a0 99 7a 57 A g INVENTOR BY Samue/ Mia/fibres ATTORNEY 3 Sheets-Sheet3 Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF 2 SAMUEL SPENCERHEMBREE, OF OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA; ASSIGNOR IO AMERI- CAN IRON &MACHINE WORKS COMPANY, OF'OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, A. 003- PORATION OFOKLAHOMA DRILL PIPE BACKING- APPARATUS Application filed. August 15.1930. Serial No. 475,518.

My invention relates to well drilling equipment and more particularly torotary drilling p equipment including drill pipe and means forperiodically removing the pipe from the well hole for repair orreplacement of drilling parts, racking the pipe sections as they areremoved from the well and replacement of the pipe when drillingis to beresumed, the principal objects of the invention being to reduce thelabor and hazard incident to manual racking of the pipe section.

In accomplishing these and other objects of my invention, I haveprovided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which areillustrated in-the accompanying drawings, wherein: p

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an oil well derrick equipped with a piperacking apparatus v embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of a derrick leg, a cable winding mechanismand operating means being attached to a pair of girders illustrated insection.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a cable reeling member andsupporting frame.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view in disassembled relation of anoperating lever and a bracket for supporting the same Fig. 5 is asectional view of a girder portion, with the cable reeling drumpivotally attached thereto by the supporting'frame.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective. view of a hook for engaging a drillpipe. I

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the upper portion of an oil well derrickequipped with a modified form of pipe racking apparatus.

Fig. 8 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a supportingbracketand reeling mechanism mounted therein. Fig. 9 is a cross sectionon the line 9- Fig. 8, particularly illustrating the method of securinga wire line to a reeling drum.

Referring more in detail to the drawings: 1 designates a derrick floorand 2 an oil well derrick, including a crownblock 3 rotatably supportinga sheave wheel 4. A cable 5 wound on a drum 6 of rotary draw works 7 isrun over the crown sheave for operating a travelingblock 8, the drawworks being driven by an engine 9 through suitable sprockets 10 andchain belts 11 as in common 13 of the block is engaged with drill pipesections 14 for lowering or elevating drill pipe into, or from, wellholes.

In removing the drill pipe from a well to replace or repaira drill bit,sections of the pipe, after being uncoupled by workmen onthej-derrickfloor,- are disconnected from the elevator and racked in theirrespective order by a workman stationed on a platform 15 near the top ofthe derrick. r l

To obviate much of the laborand danger incident to this operation I haveprovided a racking mechanism to be operated by pow? er from the rotarydraw works, and to be controlled by the workman on the platform 15. y Initspreferred form the apparatus includesa friction collar 16 fixed to ashaft 17 of the draw works, and adapted to be ractice. An elevator 12attached to a hook A frictionally engaged by a reeling mechanism 24having outer threaded ends 25 for receiving nuts 26, being extendedthrough aligning openings 27 and 28 in the arms and ears respectively.

Provided in the arms near their lower ends are aligning openings 29 forreceiving journal ends 30 of a reeling shaft 31 on which is mounted adrum 32 fixed to the shaft by collars 33 engaging threaded portions 34:of the shaft, the arms being maintained in spaced parallel relation by across bar "35 having lateral: ears 36 fixed to the arms by bolts 37 orthe like. 1 l

One'end'portion of the drum is covered with fibrous material 38 forengaging the collar 16, thefother end portion being. provided with anannular recess 39. to serve derrick, and over a pulley 47 similarlyattached to a cross member 48.

Interposed in the cable between the pulleys 44 and 17 is a pipe-engaginghook 49 provided with openings 50 and 51 for receiving the cable ends,the free end of the cable being passed through an aperture 52 in theplatform 15 and attached to a weight 53 for normally unreeling the cablefrom the drum to return the hook toward the workman.

Means for effecting engagement of the drum 82 with the collar 16includes an operating cable 54, extending from a position adjacent theoperator, over pulleys 55 and 56 attached to the derrick by brackets 57and 58 respectively, to a bell crank lever 59 pivotally supported by apin 60 from a bracket 61, said bracket being secured by bolts 62 to aderrick girder 63 extending parallel to the girder 19. A connecting link64 attached by an integral yoke 65and pin 66 to a short arm 67 of thebell crank lever is provided with a hook 68 for engaging an opening 69in the cross bar 35 of the reeling mechanism.

In racking drill pipe with an apparatus constructed and assembled asdescribed, the operator after disconnecting an elevated pipe sectionfrom the elevator engages the hook 49 with the upper end of said sectionand pulls on the cable 54, to move the drum 32 into frictional contactwith the collar 16, thereby causing the cable 40 to wind on said reeland move the pipe section to a desired position Within the derrick. Uponrelease of the cable 54 the drum is moved by gravity to its normalposition, permitting the weight 53 to unwind the cable 40.

In the modified form illustrated in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 the same principlefor racking drill pipe is employed; however, in this form, power formoving the pipe is taken from a wire line 71 or other cable of commonwell drilling equipment by a swinging reel mechanism 72, attached to thederrick by a bracket 7 3.

The bracket 7 3 includes a hook portion 7 4 on its inner end cooperatingwith a hook 75, said hooks being clamped by a bolt 76 to the flanges ofan I beam 77. an inverted U-shaped outer end 78 of the bracket isadapted to pivotally receive therebetween the connected ends 79 of ayoke member 80, terminating in spaced arms 81, a bolt 82 being extendedthrough the U-shaped portion and through the connected ends 79 tosupport the yoke member from the bracket.

Supported between the arms 81, and fixed on a sleeve 8 1 rotatablymounted on a shaft 85 extending through openings 86 in said arms is apulley S7 for engaging the wire line, and a spool 88 adapted forreceiving an actuating cable 89, washers 90 being provided on the shaftto space the spool and pulley from each other and from the arms, and anut 91 being threaded on the shaft for retaining the parts in adjustedrelation.

The cable 89 passed through an aperture 92 in the spool and providedwith a knot for securing it thereto is run over pulleys 93 and 94attached by respective brackets 95 and 96 to the derrick, a hook 97 andweight 98 being provided on the cable as in the preferred form. VAttached to an extended portion 99 of one of the yoke arms is anoperating cable 100 run over a pulley 101 and provided with a grip 102.

The operation for racking pipes with the modified form is simila' tothat of the pre ferred form, a workmanstationed on the derrick platformpulling the cable 100 to cause engagement of the pulley 87 with the wireline to effect winding of the actuating cable on the drum and racking ofthe drill pipe. Upon release of the operating cable, the actuating cableis returned to its normal position by the weight.

What 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with well drilling equipment including a derrickhaving means for supporting a pipe in vertical position, and a membermoving during operation of the equipment, means including a drum adaptedto be driven by said member for racking a pipe vertically within thederrick, and means for opcrably connecting said drum with said movingmember at desired intervals.

2. In combination withequipment inclrding a movable member, and aderrick for .upporting a pipe or the like in upright position, meansincluding a line and a hook on said line engageable with the pipe forshifting the same, transversely in the derrick and means for effectingintermittent driving re lation between said member and said line formoving the hook to shift the pipe.

In combination with well drilling equipment, pipe racking apparatusincluding a reel, a cable attached to the reel, pipeengaging means onthe cable, driving means for rotating the reel to windthe cable andeffect movement of said pipe to vertically racked position within thederrick, means for effecting a driving relation between the reel anddriving means, and means'for unwinding the cable to return thepipe-engaging means to its starting position.

1. Pipe racking apparatus including a mine, a reel and a drum carried bythe frame, a cable attached to the reel, pipe engaging means on thecable. a driving member, means for swinging the drum to frio tionalengagement with said driving member to wind the cable, and means forunwinding the cable from the reel.

5. Pipe racking apparatus including a frame, a reel and a drum carriedby the l i frame, a cable attachedto the reel, pipe engaging means onthe cable, a driving collar, means for swinging the drum to frlctlonalengagement with said collar to wind the cable,

including a second cable attached to the frame, and means for unwindingthe first named cable from the reel.

6. Pipe racking apparatus includlng a frame, a drum carried by theframe, a cable attached to the drum, a hook interposed 1n the cable, adriving collar, means for swinging the drum to frictional engagementwith said collar to wind the cable, and a weight on the free end of thecable to unwind the cable and normally maintain the drum and collar indisengaged relation.

7. In combination with well drilling equipment, pipe racking apparatusinclud ing a frame, a reel and a drum carried by the frame, a cableattached to the reel, means for directing a portion of the cable to movetransversely in the derrick, pipe engaging means on said transverseportion of the cable, a driving collar on the drilling equipment, meansfor swinging the drum to frictional engagement with said collar to windthe cable, and move the pipe laterally in the derrick, and means forunwinding the cable from the reel. I

8. In combination with well drilling equipment including draw workshaving rotating members, a floor, and a platform spaced from said floor,pipe racking apparatus including a frame, a reel and a drum carried bythe frame, a. cable attached to the reel, means for directing a portionof the cable above and in substantially parallel relation with theplatform, pipe engaging means on said parallel portion of the cable,means for swinging the drum to frictional engagement with a rotatingmember of the draw works to wind the cable, and means for unwinding thecable from the reel.

9. In combination with well drilling equipment including draw workshaving rotating members, a floor, and ,a platform spaced from saidfloor, pipe racking. apparatus including a frame, a reel, and a drumcarried by the frame, a cable attached to the reel, means for directinga portion of the cable transversely of the derrick and'adjacent saidsaid transverse portion, means for swinging the drum to frictionalengagement with a rotating member of the draw works to, wind the cable,said means including an operating cable leading to a point adjacent saidplatform, and from the reel. 7

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SAMUEL SPENCER HEMBREE.

platform, pipe engaging means on means for unwinding said'cable

